Los Gatos, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Los Gatos house pays

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Sent only to free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Los Gatos house

$31,046a year · $2,587 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $2,000,001; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$22,838
1.146% of $2,000,001, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$945
Sewer $692 · Los Gatos-Saratoga High School Measure A parcel tax ($128 a year when it began July 1, 2024; may be higher now) $128 · Valley Water Safe, Clean Water special tax (2026-27) $82 · Mosquito & vector control assessments $31 · SF Bay Restoration Authority Measure AA $12
Electricity and gas$3,414
500 kWh a month $2,435 · 31.72 therms $979
Water$1,653
9 units (CCF) a month on San Jose Water Company: water $138 a month
Trash$704
35-gallon landfill cart, weekly (curbside), $59 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A Los Gatos house at the typical market value ($2,000,001) pays about $31,000 a year: $23,780 property tax and charges, $1,650 water, $700 trash, $3,410 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 22, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Switch to the 20-gallon landfill cart, weekly (curbside) cartUp to $139 a year
Your cart costs $59 a month; the smallest costs $47. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Contact West Valley Recycles to request a different cart size.
Homeowners' exemption
If you own and occupy your home as your principal place of residence, you may be eligible for an exemption of up to $7,000 off the dwelling's assessed value.
How: File the claim with the Santa Clara County Assessor.
Free bulky cleanups3 a year
On-call bulky cleanups are included in your West Valley Recycles service three times per year.
How: Contact West Valley Recycles to schedule a pickup day.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartCurbside rates; the monthly price includes one recycling cart and up to two organics carts. On-property service costs more.

Value before exemptionsThis starting value is the Census median home value, not an assessed value. Enter the assessed value from your tax bill: under Prop 13 it is often far below what the house would sell for.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, California statewide average, NAIC data for 2022 as published by the Insurance Information Institute (California figures from the California Department of Insurance).

Earthquake insurance, a yearSeparate from home insurance. Most owners don't have it.

Your use

Water, units a month

On your water bill. 1 unit (CCF) is 748 gallons. A typical house uses 7–12.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Dec 10in 48 daysLast day to pay the first installment of secured property taxes without penalties.
Apr 10Last day to pay the second installment of secured property taxes without penalties.
Jul 2 – Sep 15Window to file an assessment appeal with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

Who serves this house

Water: San Jose Water Company; San Jose Water Schedule No. 1 General Metered Service, effective 07/01/2026; the service charge is per meter per month.
Property tax: 1.15% of value; 2025-26 tax year, Santa Clara County (tax rate area 003-000); flat charges 2026-27 where stated
Garbage: West Valley Recycles; West Valley Recycles serves Los Gatos single-family homes; service is billed quarterly.
Sewer: West Valley Sanitation District; The District provides wastewater collection services to Los Gatos.
Electricity: Silicon Valley Clean Energy / PG&E; Los Gatos is a Silicon Valley Clean Energy service-area city.
Gas: PG&E; PG&E gas service covers Los Gatos.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Surcharge: A surcharge of $0.2996 per Ccf is added for a 12-month period to amortize the under-collection in the Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism.
Low-income program: A surcharge of $2.61 per month is added to the bill to fund the Customer Assistance Program for residential low-income households.

Other CA cities

How these numbers are made

Water: San Jose Water Schedule 1, effective 07/01/2026, 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter: $79.67 service charge + $2.61 low-income program surcharge + $0.02 loan surcharge = $82.30 a month; each tier rate includes the $0.2996 per Ccf under-collection surcharge. Some hillside pockets are served by small separate water companies.
Sewer: West Valley Sanitation District serves Los Gatos: $57.65 a month, $691.80 a year, on the tax bill (shown as the sewer line, not repeated elsewhere). A $100 a year hillside zone charge applies to some properties. The district page does not state a fiscal year for this rate, so it may differ from the current year's.
Tax: 2025-26 rates for tax rate area 003-000, the Los Gatos area with the most net secured value in the county rate book ($8.9 billion), 1.1459% including the state water project; areas differ by school district (some pay Campbell school bonds). Parcel taxes: Los Gatos-Saratoga High ($128 set in 2024, rising with inflation), Valley Water, vector control and SF Bay Measure AA; other direct charges may exist.
Value: the Census median is top-coded at $2,000,001 (the true median is higher); under Prop 13 assessed values are usually lower, so enter yours.
Electricity: PG&E E-1 tier rates swapped from PG&E generation to SVCE GreenStart generation (0.32561 - 0.12855 + 0.01011 + 0.08006 + 0.03720). Gas: PG&E G-1 plus surcharge.
Garbage: West Valley Recycles curbside rates effective July 1, 2026 for a 35-gallon landfill cart (default); the price includes one recycling cart and up to two organics carts. Insurance is a 2022 statewide figure and may be low for a hillside home.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

Common questions about Los Gatos house costs

What is the property tax rate in Los Gatos?

About 1.15% of the value before exemptions a year (2025-26 tax year, Santa Clara County (tax rate area 003-000); flat charges 2026-27 where stated), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $692, Los Gatos-Saratoga High School Measure A parcel tax ($128 a year when it began July 1, 2024; may be higher now) $128, Valley Water Safe, Clean Water special tax (2026-27) $82, Mosquito & vector control assessments $31).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Los Gatos?

About $6,594 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $945 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Los Gatos?

About $138 a month for water at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on San Jose Water Company.

How much does trash pickup cost in Los Gatos?

$47 to $155 a month, depending on the trash cart size (20-gallon landfill cart, weekly (curbside), 35-gallon landfill cart, weekly (curbside), 65-gallon landfill cart, weekly (curbside), 95-gallon landfill cart, weekly (curbside)).

When is property tax due in Los Gatos?

Dec 10: Last day to pay the first installment of secured property taxes without penalties. Apr 10: Last day to pay the second installment of secured property taxes without penalties.

How much does a house in Los Gatos cost to run each year?

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